WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:14.500 Every single person comes into this world. They 00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:20.019 grow. They have many different experiences. Many 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:22.519 of them go to church. Some don't go to church. 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:26.379 They continue to mature and they continue to 00:00:26.379 --> 00:00:32.100 age. They have more experiences. Some are exposed 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:34.759 to the Word of God. Others are not exposed to 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:38.659 the Word of God. Everybody has the law of God 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:42.280 written on their hearts. Everybody knows that 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.439 there's a God. They have the knowledge of God, 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:48.000 but they suppress that truth and unrighteousness 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:53.039 in their hearts. They continue to age and mature. 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:58.700 And one day they come to a moment in time in 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:06.620 their life when they die. Everybody. Every single 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:12.859 person breathes their last breath. But in between 00:01:12.859 --> 00:01:15.799 the time they're born and the time they die, 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:20.280 God has been merciful and God has been gracious 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:26.719 because he's given us his word. He's given us 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:30.879 truth. He's given us the world around us so that 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:35.200 we know that there's a maker. He's given us the 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.560 preaching of the gospel. So for those present 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:45.359 today who do not know Jesus Christ by faith and 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.819 repentance, I want to tell you right now that 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:56.879 there is hope for you because the gospel is still 00:01:56.879 --> 00:02:03.180 being proclaimed to this day. There is mercy 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:08.139 available. Because if you are present, you are 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:13.199 under the ministry of God's holy and errant and 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:19.139 perfect infallible and sufficient Word. There 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:24.639 is hope for your soul that you can be spared 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:32.060 from the wrath to come. Because the Gospel is 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:39.860 being proclaimed. Repentance can be exercised. 00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:46.259 Christ can be believed upon. The day is coming 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:53.879 when that will not be the case. When you die, 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:57.939 there is no longer the preaching of the Gospel. 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:04.219 When you die, there's no longer the opportunity 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:08.960 for repentance. When you die, there's no longer 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:14.780 opportunity to believe on Jesus Christ. But there 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:20.560 is now. There is presently in this world, in 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:24.759 your life, because it's being proclaimed to you 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:30.000 at this very moment. Today we come to this story 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.400 and we're presented with two men. A rich man 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:41.400 who ends up in torment and a poor man who ends 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:46.719 up in heaven. So let's consider the rich man 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:54.280 first this morning. His life is seen clearly 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:58.539 in this text. The text says that this rich man, 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:04.280 that he habitually dressed in purple and fine 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:10.419 living, joyously living in splendor every day. 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:14.419 Now, it's implied in the next few verses that 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:18.839 he feasts, that he eats very, very well. Now, 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:25.180 the Nazby uses the terminology joyously. I don't 00:04:25.180 --> 00:04:28.100 think that's the best translation of this verse. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:32.720 Other translations use the word sumptuously. 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:36.459 Joyously makes it sound like there's something 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:40.000 good and rooted in biblical reality and Christ 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.420 and God and true things, but that's not what 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:47.680 is taking place here. This man is living sumptuously. 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:53.050 He's living extravagantly. He's living, this 00:04:53.050 --> 00:04:58.709 word, it carries this idea of excess and abundance, 00:04:58.709 --> 00:05:01.410 or a word that might make us think of that as 00:05:01.410 --> 00:05:08.350 decadence in every area of his life. Now, he 00:05:08.350 --> 00:05:12.529 was living literally like a king. If you had 00:05:12.529 --> 00:05:16.910 purple, and you wore purple in that day, in that 00:05:16.910 --> 00:05:21.740 age, you're trying to make... a statement about 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:27.240 yourself, your status, your influence, your power, 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:35.439 and who you are. Purple was a very rare color 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:42.100 for any clothing or linen. It was unique to royalty. 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:47.339 This man was seeking to describe himself that 00:05:47.339 --> 00:05:52.079 he was somebody. He was trying to make it known 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:55.300 to everybody around him that he was somebody, 00:05:55.420 --> 00:06:01.879 that he was known, that he was a person of honor, 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:04.899 that he was a person of influence, that he had 00:06:04.899 --> 00:06:11.019 pomp in his life. This characterized every part 00:06:11.019 --> 00:06:16.000 of his life. His dress, his clothing, what he 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:20.120 wore, what he looked like. But he did this every 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:22.699 day over and over and over. But it wasn't just 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:25.740 that. It was in his eating. It was in his food. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.139 It was in what he did throughout the day. This 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:33.120 is what characterized the whole of who he was. 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:40.439 Excess. His wealth was his life, brothers and 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:45.279 sisters. This life, this world, the worldly things, 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:48.100 the carnal things of this life. Those were the 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:53.339 things that satisfied him. Those were the things 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:56.459 that he had his eye on. And most likely, this 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:59.339 rich man, brothers and sisters, he didn't even 00:06:59.339 --> 00:07:04.240 think about death. He was so living in the moment. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:11.319 He was so caught up in the sumptuous, pleasuring, 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:15.000 and carnal realities that he enjoyed in this 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.649 life that he never thought, About what was to 00:07:18.649 --> 00:07:21.509 come. He didn't think about his soul. But I bet 00:07:21.509 --> 00:07:27.610 you one thing. He still went to the temple. This 00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:32.129 man was a first century Jew. He still went to 00:07:32.129 --> 00:07:36.649 church. He still did what was religiously right. 00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:40.689 And religiously correct. Even though he's living. 00:07:40.930 --> 00:07:46.160 In all his splendor. Now there's an issue with 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:49.339 this man and his wealth. And we'll see a little 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:52.160 later, this is not a condemnation of wealth. 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:58.240 There's an issue with this man. In all his ample 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:04.600 supply, in all of his excess, he never shared 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:10.620 any of it. He never... gave away anything. It 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:12.660 was his. I'm not going to share this. I'm not 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:16.819 going to give it to him. It's mine. How do we 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:22.279 know this? Because there was a legitimately poor 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:27.040 man, impoverished man, malnourished man on the 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.860 brink of death that was laid, that was brought, 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.700 that was carried to his gate and laid before 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:39.340 him. A man that just wanted some of the scraps 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:42.879 off of his table. A man that just wanted the 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.159 leftovers. A man that just wanted a little something 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.159 that desired and longed to be fed because he's 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.399 hungry and he was starving. He was dying most 00:08:51.399 --> 00:09:01.259 likely. Yet, this rich man never exercises a 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:08.019 generous fiber in his being. He's not moved to 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:16.220 compassion for this lowly, impoverished man. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:21.559 Listen, brothers and sisters, this man was a 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:27.779 Jew. He had Moses and the prophets. He had the 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:32.470 Word of God. He knew what was required of him 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:34.669 with regards to the orphan and the widow and 00:09:34.669 --> 00:09:40.389 the poor among the nation of Israel. But he chose 00:09:40.389 --> 00:09:47.049 not to share his wealth. There was greed and 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:52.190 jealousy even in his heart, I'm sure. Now this 00:09:52.190 --> 00:10:00.409 man, this rich man, he dies like all. Men do. 00:10:00.629 --> 00:10:07.889 Poor and rich all die. It's interesting that 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:12.029 his death is mentioned, but then his burial is 00:10:12.029 --> 00:10:16.370 mentioned as well. The poor man, his burial is 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:20.929 not mentioned at all. I'm sure that this man, 00:10:21.049 --> 00:10:24.529 he came to the end of his life and his funeral 00:10:24.529 --> 00:10:28.919 was something. I'm sure it was well attended. 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:34.039 I'm sure that there were those who came and paid 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:38.440 their respects to this man and his life. And 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:41.320 I'm sure that they came and some even mourned 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:43.419 and grieved and some were saddened at the loss 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:46.419 of this wealthy, this powerful, this influential, 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:53.659 this rich man that had passed. But what of his 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:59.669 fate following? his death. What came of this 00:10:59.669 --> 00:11:08.029 man after he died? All the excess in life, all 00:11:08.029 --> 00:11:13.590 the carnal pleasures, every need met. Everything 00:11:13.590 --> 00:11:16.350 he could dream of, everything he wanted, every 00:11:16.350 --> 00:11:21.389 longing, every desire was met because of his 00:11:21.389 --> 00:11:24.049 excess wealth, because of his great power, because 00:11:24.049 --> 00:11:29.019 of his great influence. But what of after his 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:34.019 death? Well, the text tells us, doesn't it? In 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:38.779 Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:47.220 This rich man had a good life in worldly terms 00:11:47.220 --> 00:11:53.019 and carnal terms, but he did not have a good 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:57.440 death. This rich man opened his eyes in conscious 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:07.440 torment, conscious suffering, conscious agony, 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:15.620 conscious pain and suffering. This man was well 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:22.399 aware of what he was experiencing. A drastic 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:30.919 change. From his life in this world to his life 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:37.820 after death. Now, it's interesting that this 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:48.059 man immediately cries out for what? Mercy. Now! 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:54.230 Now this man, who's had it all, Now this man 00:12:54.230 --> 00:12:58.669 is crying out for mercy to somebody else. He 00:12:58.669 --> 00:13:03.350 wants mercy. He wants compassion. He's looking 00:13:03.350 --> 00:13:07.190 for help because he recognizes his need, something 00:13:07.190 --> 00:13:11.970 he never gave in his life. He's looking for compassion, 00:13:12.169 --> 00:13:15.049 that one thing that he never showed to those 00:13:15.049 --> 00:13:22.070 in need. He wants somebody to show mercy on him. 00:13:22.110 --> 00:13:25.690 And what does he do? He cries out and he says, 00:13:25.990 --> 00:13:31.370 Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And send Lazarus 00:13:31.370 --> 00:13:35.950 so he does know who that poor, impoverished, 00:13:35.970 --> 00:13:39.169 malnourished man was that was in his gate. He 00:13:39.169 --> 00:13:44.470 knows his name. He knows who he was. Send Lazarus 00:13:44.470 --> 00:13:50.080 so that he may dip the tip of his finger. and 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:52.940 water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:58.340 in this flame. He just wanted a little bit. He 00:13:58.340 --> 00:14:00.700 just wanted a drop, brothers and sisters. How 00:14:00.700 --> 00:14:04.659 much did Lazarus want? He just wanted the crumbs. 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:09.480 Now this rich man in agony and terror and hell, 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:11.919 brothers and sisters, now he just wants a drop 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.240 of mercy. He just wants that which would fall 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:22.440 off the finger. Of Lazarus. The man he didn't 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:28.360 know. And the man he refused. To help. What does 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:34.600 Abraham respond? He says listen. You got your 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:40.100 good things in life. You got what you wanted 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:46.480 in life. You got your heart's desire. Good things. 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:49.860 You got the thing that your heart longed for 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:53.379 in this life. You had your wealth. You had your 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:56.539 power. You had your pomp. You had your influence. 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:03.940 You got those things. Now you're in agony. And 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:10.059 Lazarus is being comforted. The man who suffered 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:15.720 in life is now being comforted. And the man... 00:15:16.750 --> 00:15:19.190 who had everything in life and every pleasure 00:15:19.190 --> 00:15:22.570 and every comfort, is now in agony and conscious 00:15:22.570 --> 00:15:30.149 torment after his death. Now, this man, he goes 00:15:30.149 --> 00:15:34.009 on in the appeals to Abraham again. And he says, 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:39.830 Then I beg you, in verse 27, Father, that you 00:15:39.830 --> 00:15:42.789 send him to my father's house, meaning Lazarus. 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.059 For I have five brothers in order that he may 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:49.379 warn them so that they will not also come to 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:54.240 this place of torment. So we think to ourselves, 00:15:54.580 --> 00:16:00.460 finally, this man is thinking about somebody 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:06.840 else other than himself in torment. Finally, 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:11.139 he's changed. But what's implicit in his statement? 00:16:13.580 --> 00:16:18.299 It's the fact that he himself was not warned 00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:25.500 about this place. Let them be warned. I wasn't 00:16:25.500 --> 00:16:29.399 warned and that's why I'm here. Let them be warned. 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:33.860 But not by the word of God. By some miraculous 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:39.080 show or appearance of something else other than 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:43.129 the word of God. And also notice how this man 00:16:43.129 --> 00:16:48.629 is still commanding. He's still ordering even 00:16:48.629 --> 00:16:53.330 Father Abraham. The father of the faithful, brothers 00:16:53.330 --> 00:16:59.509 and sisters. Abraham, the father of their religion 00:16:59.509 --> 00:17:02.490 and their nation. We've been reading in Genesis 00:17:02.490 --> 00:17:06.089 how this man of faith was so mightily used of 00:17:06.089 --> 00:17:09.109 God. and God worked through him, and that he 00:17:09.109 --> 00:17:11.970 is the source of their very nation and their 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:16.549 religion. And here is this rich man ordering 00:17:16.549 --> 00:17:21.549 Father Abraham around. Do you see the hardness 00:17:21.549 --> 00:17:25.109 in his heart, the arrogance, the condescension 00:17:25.109 --> 00:17:28.349 in his heart, even to Abraham? And then we see 00:17:28.349 --> 00:17:32.170 it epitomized in the last appeal, the last thing 00:17:32.170 --> 00:17:34.549 that he says, the last statement that he says 00:17:34.549 --> 00:17:41.660 to Father Abraham. He says, but this is what 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:47.279 the man says to Abraham. But he said, no, Father 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:51.039 Abraham. But if someone goes to them from the 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:59.599 dead, they will repent. How haughty and prideful 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:07.500 can a man be to argue with Abraham in... Hell. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:14.700 Abraham clears up the subject and what does the 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:23.880 rich man say? No. The pride. The vanity. Brothers 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.819 and sisters, you would think that being in hell, 00:18:27.980 --> 00:18:31.900 being in agony, being in torment after death 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:39.920 would change a man's heart. But we see this man 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:45.880 is exactly the same as he's always been. Full 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:51.480 of pride, unbelief, arrogance, and carnality. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:19:03.160 Condescending to everybody around him. So what 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:09.910 was his sin? Why is he in agony following his 00:19:09.910 --> 00:19:14.269 death. Well, it's not simply the possession of 00:19:14.269 --> 00:19:19.730 wealth. We know that. There's many, many wealthy 00:19:19.730 --> 00:19:22.630 people in the Bible who are commended for their 00:19:22.630 --> 00:19:29.269 godliness. Think about Abraham himself. Brothers 00:19:29.269 --> 00:19:32.750 and sisters, Abraham was very, very wealthy, 00:19:32.829 --> 00:19:38.150 but Abraham was very, very godly. Think about 00:19:38.150 --> 00:19:44.970 Job. Job was very, very wealthy. But Job was 00:19:44.970 --> 00:19:49.630 very, very godly. You see, it's not wealth that 00:19:49.630 --> 00:19:51.549 was his sin. There was something deeper. There 00:19:51.549 --> 00:19:53.829 was something underneath the wealth that was 00:19:53.829 --> 00:19:59.069 the issue. Maybe it was the absence of compassion 00:19:59.069 --> 00:20:05.750 and mercy in his life. Maybe it was his refusal 00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:09.240 to be generous. With the poor man that was laid 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:16.220 at his gate. That's certainly sin. That's certainly 00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:17.859 an issue. But I think there's something even 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:21.859 deeper. What about the fact that he doesn't believe 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:27.279 in the word of God? That he doesn't believe. 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:33.559 In Moses and the prophets. That he's never repented 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:38.240 of his sin. And never trusted. in the promises 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:43.740 of salvation, in the Word of God. Is there anything 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:48.240 deeper than that? Brothers and sisters, this 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:53.700 man had Moses and the prophets. This man had 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:56.940 the Scriptures and he did not believe them. But 00:20:56.940 --> 00:20:59.579 here's another question. Why did he not believe 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:05.720 the Scriptures? Why did he not believe in the 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:08.660 sufficiency of the Scriptures to save? Was there 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:12.900 even something below that? Brothers and sisters, 00:21:13.059 --> 00:21:22.059 it's the sin in his heart. It's pride. It's vanity. 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:26.839 It's arrogance. And out of that pride and that 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:31.079 vanity and that arrogance, He loves all his possessions 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.700 and he does not love the God who has made him. 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:39.599 He doesn't believe because he's trusting in everything 00:21:39.599 --> 00:21:47.500 else. He doesn't believe because his heart is 00:21:47.500 --> 00:21:52.940 wicked. His heart and his affections, his longings 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:59.089 are set on everything in this world. His heart 00:21:59.089 --> 00:22:06.269 loves that linen. His heart loves that purple. 00:22:06.849 --> 00:22:10.109 His heart loves the power and the pomp and the 00:22:10.109 --> 00:22:14.690 prestige that those things give to him. He loves 00:22:14.690 --> 00:22:20.029 himself. That's why he does not love God, and 00:22:20.029 --> 00:22:24.009 that's why he does not believe in the Scriptures. 00:22:24.990 --> 00:22:28.690 Belief is not about information, brothers and 00:22:28.690 --> 00:22:32.109 sisters. Get this. Understand this. If you're 00:22:32.109 --> 00:22:35.789 here today and you don't know Christ, your problem 00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:38.750 is not having enough information in your head 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:41.349 and not understanding something about the Word 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:45.849 of God. Your issue is this, that you are exalting 00:22:45.849 --> 00:22:49.769 yourself into a place of judgment over God and 00:22:49.769 --> 00:22:55.720 His Holy Word. That's pride. It's the fact that 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.259 you think you are a person, you are in a place 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:02.579 to judge the God who made you and look down at 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:06.079 His Word. Your problem is not informational. 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:10.079 Your problem is moral and it has to do with sin 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:13.759 and your very nature. That's why we don't believe 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:15.940 the Word of God. That's why we don't believe 00:23:15.940 --> 00:23:18.480 in Jesus Christ. That's why men don't call on 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.579 His name. That's why men don't repent of their 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:24.619 sins. Because they love their sin and they love 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:26.839 themselves and they exalt themselves and they 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:29.220 refuse to get down off of their high horse to 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:32.240 humble themselves under the grace of a sovereign 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:40.160 God. That's why this man is in agony. Because 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:43.619 he never gave God the rightful place in his life. 00:23:44.329 --> 00:23:46.589 He never repented of his sin. He never humbled 00:23:46.589 --> 00:23:49.950 himself and exalted Jesus Christ as Lord and 00:23:49.950 --> 00:23:54.430 Savior of his life. He never saw the need in 00:23:54.430 --> 00:24:00.230 his own life to be saved. He had everything he 00:24:00.230 --> 00:24:05.609 needed. I've got a good life. I've got health. 00:24:05.750 --> 00:24:08.930 I've got the best doctors. I've got a pleasant 00:24:08.930 --> 00:24:11.349 and enjoyable life. I'm not going to think about 00:24:11.349 --> 00:24:13.549 death. I'm just going to worry about my body 00:24:13.549 --> 00:24:15.650 and my physicality. I'm just going to worry about 00:24:15.650 --> 00:24:17.549 everything else in my life and enjoy it while 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:23.349 I can. All the while, he neglected his own eternal 00:24:23.349 --> 00:24:30.730 soul. He neglected eternity. He never prepared 00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:37.720 himself for that which is to come in death. He 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.779 never looked forward. He just looked at himself 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:46.740 and his own life. That's his sin, brothers and 00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:50.700 sisters. Everything else is a symptom and a result 00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:56.059 of that. Why did he not share his wealth and 00:24:56.059 --> 00:25:00.539 help and serve his neighbor? Why did he not serve 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:06.079 the poor man? Because his heart. Loved those 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:09.619 things because of his sin. Why did he not repent 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:12.119 and believe in the word of God, Moses and the 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:15.700 prophets? Because his heart was trusting in anything 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:20.200 and everything besides that. Because he was a 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:24.759 prideful and arrogant man. And where did it bring 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:31.920 him? Where did it lead him? Into agony. It led 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:35.059 him into divine judgment and conscious torment, 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:38.319 brothers and sisters. That's where that pride 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:41.000 brought him. The same pride he had in his life 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:46.440 is now the same pride he enjoys in hell. He won't 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:49.980 let go of it. Brothers and sisters, give it up. 00:25:51.779 --> 00:25:54.819 Humble yourself under the mighty hand of a sovereign 00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:58.019 God who has sent Jesus Christ to save sinners. 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:04.240 Humble yourself. Give up your pride. Recognize 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:07.480 your inability. Recognize your sinfulness. Recognize 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:12.279 the vanity of loving things. Recognize the vanity 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:15.519 of not trusting in the Word of God that God has 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:18.059 revealed in Moses and the prophets and the Scriptures. 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:25.740 Forsake your vanity, your pride, and your arrogance. 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:31.410 And humble yourself. And come to Jesus Christ. 00:26:32.829 --> 00:26:37.309 And receive eternal life. This was the rich man. 00:26:37.829 --> 00:26:42.190 Now there was another man. The poor man. Not 00:26:42.190 --> 00:26:45.910 as much time is spent on him in this parable. 00:26:47.190 --> 00:26:51.029 It's much smaller in proportion to the rich man. 00:26:51.150 --> 00:26:55.009 And the parable doesn't seem to be as much about 00:26:55.009 --> 00:27:01.259 the poor man. So his life. And his situation 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:05.019 is drastically different than that of the rich 00:27:05.019 --> 00:27:09.099 man, isn't it? What does the text say? And a 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:11.640 poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, 00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:16.319 covered with sores and longing to be fed, with 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:19.519 the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:24.460 table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and 00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:31.420 licking his sores. This man... wasn't living 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:37.099 the life of luxury. This man was suffering. This 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:41.619 man was genuinely and sincerely impoverished. 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:46.640 Now, we can't think about poverty and being poor 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:52.339 like we do today in our society. This was a legitimate 00:27:52.339 --> 00:27:59.579 poverty by which he was incapable of supplying 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:05.640 Food and money and clothing for himself because 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:12.019 he was unclean to the general population. This 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:14.579 man was an unclean individual. He could not go 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:17.099 where most of society could go. He could not 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:20.319 do what most of society could do because he was 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:25.670 unhealthy. His body was broken. It says that 00:28:25.670 --> 00:28:29.569 he was full of sores or ulcers all over his body. 00:28:29.670 --> 00:28:32.029 And the only medical care that he got, brothers 00:28:32.029 --> 00:28:34.150 and sisters, it wasn't from the hands of man, 00:28:34.230 --> 00:28:37.950 was it? The only medical care and treatment and 00:28:37.950 --> 00:28:40.509 compassion that this man received was from the 00:28:40.509 --> 00:28:43.970 wild dogs that ran stray in the town. They would 00:28:43.970 --> 00:28:46.329 come and lick his sores. The rich man didn't 00:28:46.329 --> 00:28:48.589 take care of him, but the dogs seemingly take 00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:53.170 good care of him. These weren't your little house 00:28:53.170 --> 00:28:57.980 puppy. These were feral creatures that were a 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:01.640 nuisance and danger to everybody else. And these 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:05.200 were the ones that would come and lick this man's 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:10.259 sores. This was the crowd he ran with. This was 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:13.059 the group of folks that accepted him, these wild 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:16.680 animals. These were the ones that would come 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:20.240 around him. It wasn't the people in the town 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:23.960 or the population. In essence, this man was the 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:27.319 very bottom of society. He was the dregs of the 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:32.339 barrel, brothers and sisters. Very, very different. 00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:37.940 He was malnourished. He didn't have enough food 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:41.500 and he longed for anything. He was hungry and 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:45.960 starving, most likely on the brink of death. 00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:50.599 Nobody took note of him. He was obscure, unknown, 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:58.279 and overlooked. Now this man, just like the rich 00:29:58.279 --> 00:30:05.400 man, dies. He passes. Just like the man with 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:08.140 all the wealth, now the man with nothing in his 00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:11.480 possession and no health and a very difficult 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:16.640 providential situation in his life dies. and 00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:23.119 breathes his last. Now, this man, who was not 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:27.700 cared for, was not shown compassion, was shown 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:32.359 no mercy in life. Now this man, his burial is 00:30:32.359 --> 00:30:36.119 not mentioned. There's no reference to it at 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.880 all. We don't know what happened to his body 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:43.220 after he died. R .C. Sproul said, we can just 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:48.990 imagine. That somebody came along with a trailer 00:30:48.990 --> 00:30:52.470 or a cart, picked up his body, went and tossed 00:30:52.470 --> 00:30:58.089 it in Gehenna and burned it. Nobody looked after 00:30:58.089 --> 00:31:02.670 him. He wasn't worth anything to anybody in this 00:31:02.670 --> 00:31:08.049 world. But what about his fate following death? 00:31:08.789 --> 00:31:14.609 What came of this poor man that died? Well, immediately 00:31:14.609 --> 00:31:20.250 we read that this one that is unnoticed, immediately 00:31:20.250 --> 00:31:22.970 we read that this one that was unobserved and 00:31:22.970 --> 00:31:25.730 unseen and overlooked all his life because of 00:31:25.730 --> 00:31:29.329 his situation, what he's taken note of by the 00:31:29.329 --> 00:31:35.210 angels of God. This man is carried away to Abraham's 00:31:35.210 --> 00:31:39.029 bosom. He's taken to the father of their faith 00:31:39.029 --> 00:31:42.410 to his side. to the inner circle, to the place 00:31:42.410 --> 00:31:49.809 of honor. This man is cared for in his death, 00:31:49.970 --> 00:31:54.230 even though he was never looked at or cared for 00:31:54.230 --> 00:32:00.450 in this world. The angels take note of him. He's 00:32:00.450 --> 00:32:03.750 brought to the place of honor at Abraham's side 00:32:03.750 --> 00:32:06.450 or Abraham's bosom. It carries this idea, if 00:32:06.450 --> 00:32:09.720 we think of the Last Supper, The Apostle John 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:13.180 in Jesus' bosom, his chest leaning on him, it 00:32:13.180 --> 00:32:16.660 has this idea of closeness and nearness, this 00:32:16.660 --> 00:32:19.420 idea of feasting and fellowship. That's what 00:32:19.420 --> 00:32:24.180 it's saying. That this man who was hungry, this 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:26.519 man who was sick, this man who was dying, this 00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:29.160 man who was overlooked, this man is swooped up 00:32:29.160 --> 00:32:32.019 by the angels of God and he's brought into sweet 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:35.700 fellowship with the saints of God for all eternity. 00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:42.480 That he's... cared for, that he's fed, that he 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:45.579 has abundance, that he has a sweet experience. 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:49.819 This man, brothers and sisters, could agree with 00:32:49.819 --> 00:32:53.920 the Apostle Paul when he says, to live is Christ 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:58.660 and to die is gain. Because just like the wicked 00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:03.400 man, this man's death brought a drastic change 00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:07.900 in his life, didn't it? His life is no longer 00:33:07.900 --> 00:33:13.140 anything like what it was. His life is drastically, 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:16.279 it's dramatically different and changed immediately 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:24.779 following his death. Now he's being comforted. 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:29.400 Now he's being taken care of. Now he's being 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:33.400 watched over. Now he's being fed. Now he's being 00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:36.359 nourished. Now he's in sweet fellowship. Now 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:39.240 he's taken note of by the divine creator of the 00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:41.779 world, brothers and sisters, by his Savior, by 00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:47.319 the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he is 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:53.359 cared for for all eternity. This man, interesting 00:33:53.359 --> 00:34:00.440 enough, is now the object of desire for the one 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:07.049 in torment. No longer is it that he's longing 00:34:07.049 --> 00:34:11.230 for food from the rich man's table, but now the 00:34:11.230 --> 00:34:16.269 rich man is longing for a drip of water off of 00:34:16.269 --> 00:34:22.329 Lazarus' finger. This man, his circumstances 00:34:22.329 --> 00:34:25.909 have dramatically changed. And just like the 00:34:25.909 --> 00:34:33.190 rich man, it's permanent. It's unalterable. Notice 00:34:33.190 --> 00:34:37.250 in the text that Abraham responds to him and 00:34:37.250 --> 00:34:41.070 he says, and besides all of this, between us 00:34:41.070 --> 00:34:47.010 and you, there is a great chasm fixed. Now why 00:34:47.010 --> 00:34:49.190 does the Lord Jesus Christ include this in the 00:34:49.190 --> 00:34:54.909 text, in the parable? Why does he put this in 00:34:54.909 --> 00:34:59.980 there? To show us. That the state and the condition 00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:05.500 into which we enter following death. Is unalterable. 00:35:06.019 --> 00:35:10.559 It is certain. It is fixed. And is unchanging. 00:35:11.900 --> 00:35:14.639 This man would enjoy the comforts of heaven. 00:35:15.320 --> 00:35:18.440 And sweet fellowship with the saints of God from 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:24.019 all ages. And that would never change. While 00:35:24.019 --> 00:35:27.570 the rich man. would experience agony and torment 00:35:27.570 --> 00:35:31.590 and suffering in an unalterable, unchanging, 00:35:31.650 --> 00:35:35.769 eternal fashion under the judgment of a sovereign 00:35:35.769 --> 00:35:39.690 and a holy and a righteous God. And this could 00:35:39.690 --> 00:35:46.530 not be changed. This could not be altered. So 00:35:46.530 --> 00:35:50.010 what's the difference? What's the difference 00:35:50.010 --> 00:35:53.969 between these two men? Is it that one was born 00:35:53.969 --> 00:35:59.460 better than the other? Is it simply that their 00:35:59.460 --> 00:36:03.179 situations were different? One was born into 00:36:03.179 --> 00:36:05.619 wealth and the other was born into poverty and 00:36:05.619 --> 00:36:11.739 therefore their destinies were set. What is it 00:36:11.739 --> 00:36:17.239 that makes the difference? The poor man, though 00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:19.840 he didn't have any possessions in his life and 00:36:19.840 --> 00:36:23.900 this world, he was in possession of two priceless 00:36:23.900 --> 00:36:28.869 things. He was in possession of two invaluable 00:36:28.869 --> 00:36:36.289 realities that are worth more than anything in 00:36:36.289 --> 00:36:40.570 this life. This poor man possessed, he had in 00:36:40.570 --> 00:36:42.789 his possession, he owned them, they had been 00:36:42.789 --> 00:36:45.150 given to him, they had been graciously given 00:36:45.150 --> 00:36:47.849 to him, and these two things are the thing that 00:36:47.849 --> 00:36:49.789 make the difference in his life going to agony 00:36:49.789 --> 00:36:55.469 or Abraham's bosom. Faith and repentance. This 00:36:55.469 --> 00:37:00.170 man, believed Moses and the prophets. This man, 00:37:00.289 --> 00:37:02.769 though he was impoverished and malnourished and 00:37:02.769 --> 00:37:05.010 suffering and in distress in his life, this man 00:37:05.010 --> 00:37:08.369 was a godly man, brothers and sisters. This man 00:37:08.369 --> 00:37:10.829 had faith and he believed that he needed to be 00:37:10.829 --> 00:37:14.070 saved. God gave him faith and God gave him repentance. 00:37:15.130 --> 00:37:18.230 And that's what makes the difference. He believed 00:37:18.230 --> 00:37:23.349 the Word of God. He believed in the redemption 00:37:23.349 --> 00:37:33.130 and the Messiah that God had provided. That's 00:37:33.130 --> 00:37:37.869 what made the difference. Not the man. Not their 00:37:37.869 --> 00:37:41.230 situations. Not their circumstances. Not what 00:37:41.230 --> 00:37:44.170 they possessed or did not possess. But the graces 00:37:44.170 --> 00:37:50.030 given to them by God. The reality of repentance. 00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:56.260 And faith. That's why this poor man is carried 00:37:56.260 --> 00:38:00.179 away and cared for. Because Jesus Christ is gracious 00:38:00.179 --> 00:38:04.179 and saves those who don't deserve it. That's 00:38:04.179 --> 00:38:07.219 why this man enjoys Abraham's friendship and 00:38:07.219 --> 00:38:10.579 his fellowship for eternity. Because God is merciful, 00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:12.900 brothers and sisters. And He's made that mercy 00:38:12.900 --> 00:38:16.380 known in Moses and the prophets. He's made that 00:38:16.380 --> 00:38:19.139 mercy known in the Word of God. And it is sufficient 00:38:19.139 --> 00:38:25.829 to... save. It is powerful to save. So as we 00:38:25.829 --> 00:38:30.750 consider how to apply this text, consider, brothers 00:38:30.750 --> 00:38:36.829 and sisters, that worldly conditions or circumstances 00:38:36.829 --> 00:38:43.369 are not indicative of the conditions of one's 00:38:43.369 --> 00:38:51.380 soul before the living God. Just because someone 00:38:51.380 --> 00:38:58.800 has a bunch of stuff, just because someone dresses 00:38:58.800 --> 00:39:04.320 very nicely and they're a nice person, just because 00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:07.119 they're a good moral person, they have a nice 00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:09.500 house, they have a nice home, they have a nice 00:39:09.500 --> 00:39:11.820 car, they're a good person in the community, 00:39:11.920 --> 00:39:17.059 does not mean that their soul is right with the 00:39:17.059 --> 00:39:22.800 living God. We tend to make judgments and discernments, 00:39:22.860 --> 00:39:29.420 at least I do, based on outward appearance, based 00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:32.940 on what people look like, how they present themselves. 00:39:35.139 --> 00:39:41.400 Every single time that I do evangelism, I always 00:39:41.400 --> 00:39:46.340 struggle with sharing the gospel with those who 00:39:46.340 --> 00:39:51.940 are presentable. More than those who look rough. 00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:56.599 Do you know why, brothers and sisters? Because 00:39:56.599 --> 00:40:01.139 I associate appearance and outward looks with 00:40:01.139 --> 00:40:07.559 how someone is doing on their inside. With the 00:40:07.559 --> 00:40:13.360 nature of their heart. With who they are. Appearances 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:17.380 are deceiving, brothers and sisters. Just because 00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:20.699 someone has providentially been given wealth 00:40:20.699 --> 00:40:25.179 and they're in a good place in their life does 00:40:25.179 --> 00:40:31.079 not mean that their fate is set. It does not 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:35.980 mean that they are on the good path. It does 00:40:35.980 --> 00:40:39.960 not mean that God is pleased with them. It does 00:40:39.960 --> 00:40:43.059 not mean that God has given His divine favor 00:40:43.059 --> 00:40:48.219 to you and that Jesus Christ loves you. Brothers 00:40:48.219 --> 00:40:54.440 and sisters, it does not mean that you are going 00:40:54.440 --> 00:41:00.400 to heaven. It does not mean that you will be 00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:07.599 cared for after your death. What matters is that 00:41:07.599 --> 00:41:13.610 we are born again in this life. What matters 00:41:13.610 --> 00:41:16.469 is that we turn from our sin here and now, in 00:41:16.469 --> 00:41:19.610 this day, in this age, and we trust in Jesus 00:41:19.610 --> 00:41:22.550 Christ as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. 00:41:24.250 --> 00:41:27.309 That's what matters, brothers and sisters. Yes, 00:41:27.489 --> 00:41:30.050 listen to me. I know that we live in a world 00:41:30.050 --> 00:41:34.789 of means. That we can take advantage of opportunities 00:41:34.789 --> 00:41:37.409 and means and we can grow in our wealth. We can 00:41:37.409 --> 00:41:40.550 do things in our life. But listen to me. We are 00:41:40.550 --> 00:41:43.190 where we are because of the... Providence of 00:41:43.190 --> 00:41:46.949 God. Your station, your circumstance in life 00:41:46.949 --> 00:41:50.030 is the providence of God. And just because of 00:41:50.030 --> 00:41:53.090 your situation, that does not indicate whether 00:41:53.090 --> 00:41:55.750 or not your soul is right with God, that you 00:41:55.750 --> 00:41:57.650 have the righteousness of Christ, that you've 00:41:57.650 --> 00:42:04.510 been born again. Care for your soul. Look to 00:42:04.510 --> 00:42:13.329 eternity. You can be the most... community -oriented 00:42:13.329 --> 00:42:17.730 person in the room. You can have the biggest 00:42:17.730 --> 00:42:21.250 house in the neighborhood. You can be the nicest 00:42:21.250 --> 00:42:24.130 guy in Albion. You can be the nicest and sweetest 00:42:24.130 --> 00:42:27.489 young lady that there is in Edwards County. But 00:42:27.489 --> 00:42:32.090 if your soul is not regenerate and you do not 00:42:32.090 --> 00:42:35.269 have faith and repentance, you will not go to 00:42:35.269 --> 00:42:37.650 fellowship with Father Abraham. You will be in 00:42:37.650 --> 00:42:40.820 agony for all eternity. you will be under the 00:42:40.820 --> 00:42:43.920 just judgment of a holy and a righteous God. 00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:48.960 Our outward circumstances do not dictate and 00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:53.940 do not determine the condition and state of our 00:42:53.940 --> 00:42:58.780 soul before a living God. We have to consider 00:42:58.780 --> 00:43:02.260 the shortness of life and the certainty of death. 00:43:03.239 --> 00:43:09.420 These men lived and these men died. The rich 00:43:09.420 --> 00:43:13.139 and the poor. Whatever circumstance, whatever 00:43:13.139 --> 00:43:16.559 situation, whatever providential place God has 00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:20.199 placed you, you're going to die. And it doesn't 00:43:20.199 --> 00:43:24.300 discriminate, does it? Death doesn't discriminate 00:43:24.300 --> 00:43:31.260 on whether you had influence in life, whether 00:43:31.260 --> 00:43:34.159 you had power and a place of authority in life. 00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:38.199 Death doesn't discriminate on whether or not 00:43:39.920 --> 00:43:42.739 You were supposedly a good person and a moral 00:43:42.739 --> 00:43:47.340 person in life. We all die, young and old, good 00:43:47.340 --> 00:43:52.599 and bad morally and supposedly morally. We all 00:43:52.599 --> 00:43:59.619 die. This is the life, this is the time that 00:43:59.619 --> 00:44:03.079 God has given for repentance and faith while 00:44:03.079 --> 00:44:08.159 the gospel is preached. R .C. Sproul also said, 00:44:09.320 --> 00:44:12.079 Now whenever he hears someone say that God is 00:44:12.079 --> 00:44:17.280 infinitely merciful, that he is infinitely merciful, 00:44:17.559 --> 00:44:19.639 that he wants to stick his finger up and say, 00:44:19.699 --> 00:44:23.139 just a minute, I have a correction here. I just 00:44:23.139 --> 00:44:24.760 want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. 00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:28.000 Yes, God is infinitely merciful in that he's 00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:30.559 an infinite being and he has mercy, but if you 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:33.760 mean that God has mercy without bounds and without 00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:38.739 limits, then you are incorrect. Because we all 00:44:38.739 --> 00:44:45.739 die. And if we don't know Christ, if we are not 00:44:45.739 --> 00:44:47.699 in Christ, and we do not have faith, and we do 00:44:47.699 --> 00:44:50.420 not have repentance, then His mercy has found 00:44:50.420 --> 00:44:55.900 a limit at your death. His mercy will not be 00:44:55.900 --> 00:45:02.340 upon you if you are not in Christ. We have to 00:45:02.340 --> 00:45:04.679 consider the shortness and the brevity of life. 00:45:05.179 --> 00:45:07.900 It's here one minute. and it's gone the next. 00:45:09.159 --> 00:45:12.199 I learn that gradually more and more as I age. 00:45:13.619 --> 00:45:17.039 It's not just that we all die, but it's that 00:45:17.039 --> 00:45:22.380 one moment I'm here, and the next moment I'm 00:45:22.380 --> 00:45:27.420 already here. We lose track of time. We lose 00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:30.260 track of where we're at in our life. And brothers 00:45:30.260 --> 00:45:35.969 and sisters, listen. Death is not... This calculated 00:45:35.969 --> 00:45:40.050 thing that we know when it's coming. We are aging. 00:45:40.250 --> 00:45:43.570 We are maturing. We are nearing death every single 00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:47.010 day. And we don't know when or how that death 00:45:47.010 --> 00:45:51.730 is going to come to us. This is the day and the 00:45:51.730 --> 00:45:54.969 age that God has given men for repentance and 00:45:54.969 --> 00:45:57.900 faith. While the gospel is proclaimed. The day 00:45:57.900 --> 00:46:00.219 is coming when you will not be able to repent. 00:46:00.460 --> 00:46:03.159 The gospel will not be preached. And you will 00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:06.159 not be shown grace and mercy sitting under the 00:46:06.159 --> 00:46:11.260 word of God. Today is the day to repent. Today 00:46:11.260 --> 00:46:14.599 is the day to believe on Jesus Christ. This minute 00:46:14.599 --> 00:46:17.360 right now is the moment to turn from your sin. 00:46:17.480 --> 00:46:19.739 To give up your pride and your arrogance. And 00:46:19.739 --> 00:46:25.550 trust in him for eternal life. Don't delay. Don't 00:46:25.550 --> 00:46:30.530 wait. Don't go another minute. Deal with God. 00:46:30.650 --> 00:46:35.869 Deal with your sin. Give yourself to Him. We 00:46:35.869 --> 00:46:40.170 don't know how or when we're going to die, but 00:46:40.170 --> 00:46:46.489 we do know the gospel is being heard. Mercy is 00:46:46.489 --> 00:46:49.929 available, brothers and sisters. Grace is available. 00:46:51.070 --> 00:46:54.809 Repentance is available because the gospel is 00:46:54.809 --> 00:47:00.510 being preached. There will be no proclamation 00:47:00.510 --> 00:47:07.510 of mercy and grace in agony. There will be no 00:47:07.510 --> 00:47:11.090 call to repentance after death, brothers and 00:47:11.090 --> 00:47:16.889 sisters. When we die, our fate and our condition, 00:47:16.969 --> 00:47:19.730 it's settled and it's determined, it's fixed. 00:47:22.769 --> 00:47:29.440 It's too late. But it's not yet. There's still 00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:33.340 time to believe on Christ. There's still time 00:47:33.340 --> 00:47:37.800 to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to 00:47:37.800 --> 00:47:42.760 consider the reality of heaven and hell. Everybody 00:47:42.760 --> 00:47:49.219 loves the idea of heaven. Everybody. I've not 00:47:49.219 --> 00:47:52.800 found a single person that gets angry, mad, or 00:47:52.800 --> 00:47:57.579 upset about the idea of heaven. Everybody wants 00:47:57.579 --> 00:48:02.019 to go to that place. Everybody wants that. Everybody 00:48:02.019 --> 00:48:05.460 wants to experience that future. They want to 00:48:05.460 --> 00:48:09.400 know that. And they believe in that. They take 00:48:09.400 --> 00:48:17.699 that. But hell is not so popular. And rightfully 00:48:17.699 --> 00:48:22.280 so. It's a very difficult doctrine and teaching. 00:48:24.460 --> 00:48:30.739 Our response to it teaches us even now. When 00:48:30.739 --> 00:48:34.500 I think of hell and the divine just judgment 00:48:34.500 --> 00:48:40.239 of God on the wicked, my heart is not broken 00:48:40.239 --> 00:48:45.300 as it ought to be. How can we think about hell 00:48:45.300 --> 00:48:50.920 and loved ones or friends and family or individuals 00:48:50.920 --> 00:48:56.320 in this room going to hell? And not burst out 00:48:56.320 --> 00:49:01.000 in tears. How am I not crushed more over that 00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:05.239 reality? It teaches us of the hardness of our 00:49:05.239 --> 00:49:11.840 heart. The compassion that we need. Brothers 00:49:11.840 --> 00:49:14.659 and sisters, our response to hell teaches us 00:49:14.659 --> 00:49:19.000 that we need to understand and receive and believe 00:49:19.000 --> 00:49:26.510 revealed truth. depending on our emotional responses 00:49:26.510 --> 00:49:30.929 to that truth. We have to receive the truth that 00:49:30.929 --> 00:49:34.449 God has given to us. We don't pick and choose 00:49:34.449 --> 00:49:38.710 what we believe. We don't get heaven without 00:49:38.710 --> 00:49:41.469 hell, brothers and sisters. It's not one or the 00:49:41.469 --> 00:49:46.409 other. It's both and. God is merciful. God is 00:49:46.409 --> 00:49:50.130 gracious. But God is just and God is holy. He 00:49:50.130 --> 00:49:54.719 is righteous. He will not leave any unpunished 00:49:54.719 --> 00:50:01.019 who don't know Christ. But His grace will be 00:50:01.019 --> 00:50:04.599 extended and His mercy given to all those who 00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:11.019 know Christ for all eternity. If we knew anything 00:50:11.019 --> 00:50:17.400 of the nature and character of hell, and there 00:50:17.400 --> 00:50:19.679 are bound to be individuals in this room with 00:50:19.679 --> 00:50:24.639 this many people, who don't know Christ, who 00:50:24.639 --> 00:50:29.000 have not turned from sin. There are bound to 00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:33.860 be people that at this moment are headed to agony. 00:50:35.880 --> 00:50:40.300 If you knew anything about the nature of hell, 00:50:40.519 --> 00:50:44.659 the severity of sin, and the holiness of God, 00:50:45.099 --> 00:50:49.480 you would do anything it takes to get to the 00:50:49.480 --> 00:50:53.800 cross of Calvary. You would give up anything 00:50:53.800 --> 00:51:00.380 to be saved. You would give up your pride. You 00:51:00.380 --> 00:51:02.880 would give up your vanity. You would give up 00:51:02.880 --> 00:51:05.179 your arrogance. You would give up your morality. 00:51:05.420 --> 00:51:07.679 You would give up your supposed goodness and 00:51:07.679 --> 00:51:09.920 righteousness. Brothers and sisters, you would 00:51:09.920 --> 00:51:15.039 crawl through flames on your knees for 20 hours 00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:18.519 to get to the cross if you knew what hell was 00:51:18.519 --> 00:51:24.760 like. Sin is that severe. And God is that holy. 00:51:24.860 --> 00:51:28.780 None are going to slip by. None are going to 00:51:28.780 --> 00:51:31.059 be overlooked. He is just. He is sovereign. He 00:51:31.059 --> 00:51:35.519 is holy. And He will not let you pass. When you 00:51:35.519 --> 00:51:39.519 die, are you prepared for eternity, brothers 00:51:39.519 --> 00:51:43.960 and sisters? Do you know where your soul is going? 00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:47.579 Are you going to be with Father Abraham and all 00:51:47.579 --> 00:51:50.019 the saints from all eternity because you believed 00:51:50.019 --> 00:51:53.119 in Jesus Christ and the salvation that the Word 00:51:53.119 --> 00:51:56.059 of God makes known? Or are you headed to agony 00:51:56.059 --> 00:51:59.280 and conscious pain and torment for all eternity? 00:52:01.579 --> 00:52:08.760 Are you confident of your eternal future? Do 00:52:08.760 --> 00:52:15.230 you know your eternal destiny? Take time to consider 00:52:15.230 --> 00:52:19.610 your soul. Take time to consider your never dying 00:52:19.610 --> 00:52:27.110 eternal soul. Take time to consider your eternal 00:52:27.110 --> 00:52:38.070 future. Are you prepared for death? God has made 00:52:38.070 --> 00:52:45.550 known these realities in His Word. There's no 00:52:45.550 --> 00:52:51.869 more significant thing that you can take time 00:52:51.869 --> 00:52:55.170 to think about, pray about, and meditate upon 00:52:55.170 --> 00:53:01.769 than asking yourself, is my soul set for eternity 00:53:01.769 --> 00:53:07.050 because I believe in Jesus Christ? Because He 00:53:07.050 --> 00:53:09.250 has been merciful and He has been gracious. I 00:53:09.250 --> 00:53:11.869 have been born again. My affections are new. 00:53:12.010 --> 00:53:18.010 I love... and He loves me. Prepare yourself. 00:53:18.670 --> 00:53:22.369 Take time to think about this most important 00:53:22.369 --> 00:53:29.030 question. Will you be the rich man or will you 00:53:29.030 --> 00:53:36.050 be the poor man? Two men, two faiths. Faith and 00:53:36.050 --> 00:53:41.170 repentance on this earth. Trust in Jesus Christ.